Abbottabad
Owing to the shortage of public transport vehicles on the eve of Eid-ul-Fitr vacations Sunday stranded passengers were trapped by the public transporter as fares raised up to double.
According to the details, from today KP government lifted the ban on intercity and inter-district public transport which was imposed to strictly enforce lockdown in the province, hundreds of thousands of the commuters reached various bus and other public transport terminals to go for duties in big cities and facing shortage of the transport.
District administrations also allowed public transporters to carry only 50 percent of passengers which is another cause of the increase in fares.
Transporters were charging fares at their own will and the people had no choice to reach their destinations except to pay the increased fares.
While talking to APP a commuter Amjad Ali said that he and his family were waiting for the bus at Abbottabad Lorry Adda for the last three hours, earlier when we left home from Mandian then local transport was also short.
Amjad Ali stated that despite the double fare charge public transport is unavailable and the vehicles are less than half as compared to routine.
He said that profiteers also jumped in to get their share from the situation, old buses and other vehicles that are not fit for long routes are being used, adding Amjad Ali disclosed.
Another commuter told to APP that from Abbottabad local transporters were charging 100 to 150 rupees for Manshera and in the same way on other routes transporters have also increased the fares and.
Main bus terminals Abbottabad, Mansehra, Haripur and other cities were full of stranded passengers who were going to every part of the country waiting for public transport.—APP
